William Nuelsen Witney was an American film and television director.
14 Facts About William Witney
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Prolific and pugnacious, Witney began directing while still in his 20s, and continued working until 1982.
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William Witney was four years old when his father died, and he lived with his uncle, who was an Army captain at Fort Sam Houston.
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Colbert Clark, William Witney's brother-in-law, introduced him to films by letting him ride in some chase scenes for the serial Fighting with Kit Carson.
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William Witney stayed around the Mascot Pictures headquarters while preparing for the entrance exam to the US Naval Academy.
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In 1936 Mascot was absorbed by Republic, and William Witney was now working for studio president Herbert Yates.
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William Witney was an assistant on the serial The Painted Stallion when director Ray Taylor's drinking problem had gotten out of hand and Taylor had to leave the location.
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William Witney teamed with director John English for several of Republic's most successful and best-remembered serials.
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William Witney is credited with devising the modern system of filming movie fight sequences.
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Republic closed in 1957, forcing William Witney to find freelance work, mostly in television.
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William Witney directed the Jim Davis syndicated adventure television series, Rescue 8, which aired from 1958 to 1960.
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William Witney became one of the staff directors of the CBS network series The Wild Wild West.
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William Witney made feature films into the 1960s, such as Master of the World starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson.
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William Witney was married to former actress Maxine Doyle until her death in 1973.